I was curious about Pulse Rates. I had looked at this years ago but had not looked at for a while. As I keep track of my pulse rate in conjunction with my Blood Pressure regularly, I was curious to know where I fall under.

I will be 42 on this Thursday the 16th. My Pulse Rates are as follows:

High: 64Low: 40Average: 51

These are for the last 2 weeks and includes 16 readings so a very good basis. In respect to the chart my average would be rated as an athletic person; it is nice to know that the cardio and the weight lifting I'm doing has allowed me some benefits.

I have noticed since introducing cardio my pulse rates have come down. Prior my average pulse rate was around 58 which is still pretty decent.

If wondering. I keep track of my BP/Pulse Rate in an App on my iPod Touch called iBP; best $0.99 I've ever spent. I have a monitor at home that I use and then record them here which tracks it. The App has some good features such as graphs and the ability to e-mail your results to your doctor. May be something worth looking at if you are interested.

So how do you rate?

_________________________"IF I COME ... I'M BRINGING THE PAIN WITH ME"

My BP/Pulse Rate this morning were; 129/75/45. The other day it was 126/68/42. Still trying to get my Systolic rate down. Will be back at the doctor tomorrow to check on my blood tests to see if I have an over active thyroid; will discuss at that time.

_________________________"IF I COME ... I'M BRINGING THE PAIN WITH ME"

er...why are you worried about your systolic based on those readings Dereck?

Anything from 110-140 is normal, 140-160 is borderline, and 160+ is clinical hypertension.

Also, the systolic reading is a constant state of flux anyway, and from a medical perspective, the diastolic reading is of much greater value. Here, 70-85 is normal, and anything higher than 90 is clinicaly hypertensive.

Considering than the baseline readings increase with age, your BP is absolutely superb at the moment Dereck. If this is being controlled with medication, then its working, and if its just you naturaly, then you are displaying zero sign of cardiovascular issues in regard to these readings.

It's weird Cord. I have been on meds for almost 2 weeks. Prior to that I could maintain these rates and actually have a lower Systolic but a slightly higher Diastolic (70-83). Now in the morning both are sort of flipped (not sure that makes sense or not).

i.e.

4/20/2010 111/705/5/2010 117/766/1/2010 118/766/14/2010 113/72

These are some of my readings without meds but I also seen some slightly higher readings as well however I recently hit some high morning readings in the 130-145 range for the Systolic but still good on the Diastolic end. And the Diastolic end is the more important so not horribly but still a reason to be weary especially with my family history.

I normally take my readings in the morning as that is when I'm at rest. If at rest your readings are high that that is a red flag; but for the most part I have been really good with the exception of the last month. It is during the day that I get much higher and since that is the better part of the day, I needed to get this in order before I wound up like my Father or Grandfather. After work I could be anywhere from 130-163 and 70 to 93. It was way too inconsistent and usually on the higher end. Definitely red flags.

I just want to get everything in order and have smooth sailing. I have a lot of plans for the future and don't want to miss a beat. I'm otherwise healthy, I'm very active and I want to stay that way.

Thanks Cord.

_________________________"IF I COME ... I'M BRINGING THE PAIN WITH ME"

It sounds like your elevated readings were/are environmental, not physiological ie. work/life stress related, not due to arteriosclerosis.

With the readings you have shown on here, I doubt that a doctor in the UK would have put you on medication, even with your family history.

I appreciate its of personal concern to you, but I do recall that you tend to welcome and function on stress - I remember you saying you sleep as little as 4 hours a night and still feel energised, and that you embrace the pressure in your job. I would suggest that, as someone who has also stated a dislike of reliance on medication, that holistic environmental measures could be as effective for you as the meds - massage, aromatherapy, meditation etc could all help reduce stress levels.

Also, tight chest and breathlessness can also be attributed to anxiety/panic attacks, which are often associated with prolonged high stress levels.

I don't really have any way of tracking my blood pressure. Is it worth starting if I feel reasonably healthy anyway?

Yep, always good to keep an eye on it - they dont call it the 'silent killer' for nothing. Very few if any truly defined symptoms involved.

It is not wise to obsess, or over-monitor BP though, as you can end up getting false readings due to being stressed about your readings!!

Best thing to do is book in with your doctor every 6 months for a 'wellness' check up - blood pressure, blood sugar, pee test and maybe prostate depending on your age. Bit like a regular service for your car, it just means you can have a bit of peace of mind.